Toward a New Paradigm in U.S. Healthcare

Abstract

The American healthcare system stands at a critical crossroads.  Despite the United States (U.S.) being among the most technologically advanced nations, and the one that spends the most on healthcare in the world, the country continues to grapple with fragmented care, soaring costs, inequitable access, and persistent disparities in health outcomes.  There is an urgent need for a transformative shift, not merely in policy or payment models, but in the very philosophy that underpins its approach to health and healthcare.
This need for reform is evidenced from many perspectives.  The current U.S. health care system is experiencing shortages in both workforce and hospital beds in many locations, with a total absence of workforce and health care facilities in others.  Hospital closures are becoming common, and an even larger number are currently in jeopardy.  This is exacerbated by the current and worsening economic conditions, manifest as declining purchasing power, increasing costs, and impending insolvency of the safety net programs.  All of these trends point to an unavoidable erosion of the current healthcare infrastructure and a future in which the U.S. shall have to strive to provide meaningful impacts on health with only a portion of its previous assets.
This paper proposes a framework for such an approach comprising three major elements: Whole Person Care, Value-Based Incentives, and a National Payment Model.

Keywords: Healthcare Paradigm Shift, Healthcare Reform, National Health Status, Affordability, Equality